


True Unity

by Aerilon452



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, F/M, Rey gets Ben back, Romance, slight a/u
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:48:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22413499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aerilon452/pseuds/Aerilon452
Summary: Rey goes back to the island to attempt to get Ben back. She can't go on with only half of herself existing in the galaxy.
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 11
Kudos: 38





	True Unity

**Author's Note:**

> This story started out as a simple way for Rey to get Ben back, then one thing led to another, and it became longer than I originally intended. This is my first Rey/Ben fic, so I hope everyone enjoys it! Thank you for reading!

Rey was back on the island where Luke Skywalker spent the last years of his life in self-imposed exile. She was standing on the very spot where he gave her that first lesson. This was where she would tap into the power that flowed through this island – the power of the first Jedi and Sith.

For months, Rey had been having visions of Ben, of having him back. She saw his face everywhere she went, keenly aware of the loss of him. Ben Solo was the missing half she’d been longing to find. She had to get him back.

Rey closed her eyes, letting the power flow into her. She would be a conduit that would channel the energy she needed into Ben. He only had to answer her call. “Ben…” she said his name softly. “Ben, come to me, please…” She drew in a sharp breath as power flared to life inside her, seeking a vessel.

One the other side, Ben stood in front of Rey. He never left her side, not for one moment, not since bringing her back from death. She was doing something dangerous – for him. She was bound and determined to be reckless. Hearing her call his name nearly broke his heart. “Rey, what’re you doing?” he asked softly, getting her attention.

In all the times Rey had called out to Ben, he never answered her. Not until this moment. Her eyes opened and she was looking at him – not truly here and not truly a ghost. He was trapped somewhere in the middle. She offered her hand to him. “You offered me your hand once. Now, I do the same. Come back to me,” she said, her voice breaking, and tears filled her eyes. The power was building inside her.

“Rey…” Ben shook his head. On Exegol, he had given his life to save her, and he’d gone over to the other side willingly. She was worth saving. He wasn’t. The galaxy was better off without Kylo Ren – Ben Solo – out of it.

“There is no me without you,” Rey replied passionately. She managed to steady her voice, but the tears were still falling. He had called them dyad – two that were one. “Take my hand, please…” Since Exegol, she’d been different, she’d been half herself. Her friends noticed the change but didn’t comment on it because she hadn’t wanted to talk about what losing Ben had done to her heart.

Ben looked at her hand, wanting to take it, wanting to be with her again. She was risking her life for him. “Stop this. You can’t handle the power flowing through you.” He took a step closer to her while he was careful not to touch her. “This will kill you.”

“I’m stronger than you think. We’re stronger together,” Rey argued. She thrust her hand in his direction, willing him to take it. “I need you,” she admitted freely. “Just take my hand. Please, Ben, don’t leave me alone.”

_“Don’t be stupid, kid. Take the woman’s hand. She’s going through all of this… for you… You’ll regret letting go.”_

Ben was hearing the voice of his father. He smiled and closed his eyes. Giving in, his hand reached out to her, slowly. Their fingers touched first, sliding down until their palms connected. Her strong fingers wrapped around his wrist and held him tightly. The power that had been building inside her slammed into him like a tidal wave. He felt his body crossing back over, becoming solid and real. In the blink of an eye he was back in the world with Rey. She didn’t wait. She hugged him and he embraced her just as tightly. Silently, he thanked his father for giving him the push he needed.

Rey never thought she would feel him again. His strength warmed her inside and out. They were truly one – their bond solidified. She felt him in ways that she never thought possible. He was happy, fearful, relieved, and grateful. All those emotions rising, giving way to the next, and the next. She could only hold him to weather the storm of their mixing emotions. Their hearts started to beat at the same time.

In sync, Ben and Rey pulled back to look at each other. They had always had a way of speaking without words and that hadn’t gone away. He could sense she wanted to tell him something, but he would wait until she was ready. To be with her like this was good enough for him. The power she had channeled into him was receding back into the island. It was as if this place was waiting for her and this exact moment.

“You were right about what you said on Snoke’s ship. It’s time to let go of the old ways, the old grudges. Just let it all go.” Since losing him on Exegol, Rey had had time to think about things, about him, about where her life was going. She had taken Skywalker as her last name to finally wipe the last traces of Palpatine from the galaxy. In doing so, she found she didn’t have what it took to resurrect the Jedi. Eventually, it would happen, and the Sith would return as well. That was the nature of the Force. Light and Dark would always rise to face each other. She, however, wouldn’t let it rule her life.

“You mean that?” Ben asked in surprise. She could always do that to him.

“Yes,” Rey said with a nod. Luke knew it, Palpatine feared it, but she would embrace it. She and Ben were free to choose how to live their lives. They would no longer be divided by the Dark or the Light.

Ben said nothing. He slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him. She was fatigued but fighting it. The bond between them wouldn’t allow things like that to be hidden. “Let’s go back to the Falcon,” he whispered. Ben reluctantly let her go after she nodded, silently signaling she agreed with him.

**MILLENNIUM** **FALCON:**

Rey walked ahead of Ben as they made their way up the ramp of the Falcon. He hadn’t said much on their hike back to the ship. Then again, neither had she. Rey had been so focused on seeing if she could get him back, she hadn’t thought of what would happen once she saved him. Suddenly, the ramp closed, and she jumped. Turning, she found Ben with his finger on the button and a smirk on his face. He knew he startled her.

Ben took Rey’s hand, walking back through the corridor of the ship as if he’d been there hours ago instead of years. He stopped when he came to the rec area. Their gazes never faltered as they moved in step with each other. He waited for her, for whatever she wanted to do or talk about. Ben was content to gaze into her eyes, to feel her feelings reaching out to him, solidifying the bond they had been born to embrace.

Rey curled her fingers into the hem of Ben’s black sweater, tugging the garment up until he was chuckling and stripping out of it. She needed to see if he still had scars. His bare chest had her holding her breath. She immediately touched the front of his left shoulder. The scar from their first fight was gone. Then she touched his right collar bone, tracing where the long scar had been – again from her first time wielding a lightsaber. Her fingers moved across his cheek, but he stopped her, placing a kiss to her palm.

Ben sensed her thoughts. “Medical droids are perfectionists,” he said and kissed her palm again before dropping his hands to settle them on her hips. It was then that she winced. This time, he pulled her shirt off, and she didn’t protest. He left her wearing a simple bra where he saw lightning scars covering her left side. “When did this happen?”

“It’s my constant reminder of Exegol, of my blood tie to the Emperor,” Rey answered. Most days she ignored that her grandfather was the creator of the Empire, of Darth Vader, and the suffering the galaxy endured. Palpatine was the reason her father and mother left her on Jakku – he was the reason her parents were dead.

Ben placed his hand on the center of the arcing scars and closed his eyes. He was going to heal her when she stepped back, breaking the connection of their skin. “Rey, let me do this,” he pleaded quietly.

“Leave it,” Rey responded gently. She brought her hands up, cupping his face. “I keep it as a reminder not to turn to turn into him.” 

“You could never be like Palpatine,” Ben replied quickly. “You’re a beacon of light in the galaxy.” She was his beacon of light. Mindful of her side, he brought in against his chest. He craved the touch of her skin to his, of feeling her breathe with him. His lips touched her forehead.

Rey draped her arms over his strong shoulders, hugging him tightly, reveling in the light kiss he placed to her brow. All the anxiety she had been feeling melted away. She felt centered and calm, like the weight of the galaxy wasn’t weighing down on her alone anymore. Rey couldn’t help but sigh deeply. She could feel her eyes growing heavy as her body wanted to succumb to sleep.

“You’ve had a long day, we should lie down,” Ben suggested.

Rey furrowed her brow while wearing an amused smirk. “You’ve been back in the land of the living for half a day and that’s what you’re thinking about,” she joked.

“No,” Ben replied but he also gave her a wink. “You’re exhausted,” he said again, gentler this time. When everything was calm, he could be playful and gentle with Rey.

*****

The Falcon was dark except for auxiliary lighting. Two pairs of boots were set side by side near the bench where Chewie and Finn often played games. Rey was lying on her right side with Ben curled behind her. They were cuddled together under a blanket with her head using his right arm as a pillow. She had been dozing for the last half hour but neither of them said anything. Ben had spent the last hour waiting for someone else to happen upon them even though his highly trained senses told him they were alone.

Rey tried to say in the sweet space between sleeping and waking. She sighed softly while Ben traced the lightening pattern on her left side. “Did you sleep at all?” she asked, her speech slightly slurred.

“I couldn’t,” Ben replied. “Where are your friends?” he asked, curiosity finally getting the better of him.

Rey rolled over to lie on her back so she could look into his eyes. “They stayed behind on Takodana to help Maz make some last-minute repairs,” she answered. After the last assault of the Final Order and on Palpatine, they had taken up residence with Maz so they could make full scale repair and restoration to the Millennium Falcon. The ship had a full crew again; Finn, Poe, BB8, and Rose joined her, Chewie, R2 and C3Po.

“Did they not approve of this trip?” Ben asked, a hint of teasing in his tone.

“They didn’t know I was coming here,” Rey admitted freely. She wasn’t sure she could bring him back and she didn’t want an audience. The only one who had an inkling as to what she was potentially up to Maz. That didn’t surprise her, though. Maz had a way of knowing things.

Ben could hear what Rey wasn’t saying. Leaning down, he placed his lips to hers. It was going to be hard enough for him to be back, he appreciated the time they had time alone together before he was thrust back into galaxy. When he pulled back and looked into her eyes, he saw she understood how grateful he really was. “They won’t understand why you did this,” he pointed out.

“They don’t need to,” Rey responded. “There war is over, and we all have to move on, to start to rebuild in the wake of all that’s happened.”

“Rey…” Ben sat up, putting his back against the padded bulkhead of the bunk. “I will be the personification of everything they hate, of everything they fought against. They lost comrades on my order.”

Rey sat up, placing her hands on his bent knees. “We’ve all killed, Ben. I’ve killed Stormtroopers, Snoke’s personal guard, Tie-Fighter pilots. It was a war.” She wasn’t saying those things to absolve him of the horrible things he’d done, but to illustrate a point that they all had done terrible deeds on both sides. It would take a lot of work to make amends for it. “What matters is how you move forward from the here and now.” She paused, giving him to time hear what she was really saying.

“Why have you been spending time on Takodana?” Ben asked. There was no sense in continuing to argue with her.

“The Falcon has been conducting missions of mercy; guarding medical frigates, delivering relief supplies to colonies, and ferrying people to planets that managed to come through the war unscathed,” Rey explained. It was how she managed to sleep at night. Even though she had adopted the name ‘Skywalker’, she couldn’t erase the lingering traces of being a Palpatine that followed her every step she’d taken since Exegol. Making the choice to help others kept her from dwelling on all that she’d learned.

Ben pulled Rey back into his arms. He needed to be holding her almost as much as she wanted to be held by him. They were both equally scarred by their family names. The only solace to be found was if they were together. If being back in this galaxy meant doing things the way she did, then he would put forth his best effort. He would have to if he was to atone for all the evil he’d done.

Rey pulled back and got out of the bunk. “I have something for you,” she said, smiling.

“What is it?” Ben slid to the edge, watching Rey intently. She picked up a box from the bench and set it on the game table.

With a smile, Rey said, “Open it.”

Ben walked over to the table. He lifted the lid cautiously while keeping a suspicious gaze pinned on Rey. She was just smiling. Then he looked inside. Nestled in velvet lining was a blaster – like the one his father always used – and a new lightsaber. His hand went for the Jedi preferred weapon. Standing back from her, his thumb hit the button and yellow illuminated the cabin.

“When I made my new one, I instinctually made this one as well. Some part of me must have known I would try to get you back,” Rey said. She couldn’t have anticipated the look of pure wonderment on his face.

Ben powered down the saber and put it back in the box. “Thank you,” he said softly as he took her hand and laced their fingers together.

**MORNING:**

Rey sat in the pilot’s seat flicking switches, setting the course for Takodana. Ben was next to her, taking the place of co-pilot, and they were silent. When she had woken up, she was alone under the blanket feeling rested, feeling settled. After she’d gotten dressed and eaten, she’d gone looking for him. She found him in a small storage room. He was pawing through a crate of old clothes – jackets mostly. They belonged to Han solo.

Ben sat next to Rey, trying not to fidget. The jacket he wore sat perfectly on his shoulders, the shirt was loose enough, the boots hadn’t been worn, the pants had been sealed in bag, and the belt was just like his dad’s. His blaster fit snuggly in the holster on his right thigh and his lightsaber was clipped to this left side. He felt more like Ben Solo than he ever had before, and it was all because of Rey. She showed him the path back.

“Are you ready for this?” Rey asked as the ship jumped to lightspeed.

“I’d be lying if I said ‘yes’,” Ben replied with a half smirk. He glanced over at her to find she had her brow furrowed and her lips pursed. Then, to reassure her, he added, “I’ll be fine.” He reached over to her to caress her cheek with the back of his fingers. There was a craving inside him to touch her whenever possible and it was echoed inside her.

Rey leaned into his touch. When they were together, she felt such a deep belonging; it washed away all those lonely, sleepless nights. It went beyond being a dyad. They were so much more together. Maz’s words made sense to her – finally. All she did was smile at him, knowing that somehow, he sensed she was more than ready to stand with him.

**TAKODANA:**

Maz Kanata could finally recognize her castle as the place she had lived and the bar she operated for a thousand years. It was as if the First Order had never rained down hell upon her home. Though, some parts of the castle still needed shoring up, but that could wait until Rey returned. Business was slow to trickle in, so her ‘watering hole’ – as Han liked to call it – was devoid of patrons. Except for the crew of the Millennium Falcon. The ship and its captain were gone. Maz had an idea as to where Rey had slipped off to and who she was trying to save.

Maz looked as Finn, Poe, and Rose sharing a drink, laughing at stories; it brought a small, sad smile to her face. She could recall plenty of people that would never darken her doorstep again; Han, Luke, Leia, and many more. Thinking about Leia Organa hurt her thousand-year-old heart. The woman had been a promising Jedi in her time, had trained as hard as her brother, and yet none of it could have prepared her for Ben – for the path he had to walk before his life made sense.

Maz had known Ben as a small boy and even then, he liked to keep to himself. He would be sad on the occasions he and his family would visit her. One night she had found him outside in the courtyard, staring up at the stars. He had tears streaming down his face as he was silently pleading for someone to come back. When she asked him if his father had left again, he told her no. He told her that he heard a little girl calling out for her parents to come back. It hadn’t made sense to her that night, but the moment she set eyes on Rey it did.

Then the sound of a ship landing brought Maz out of her memories. She knew that sound – as did everyone else at the bar. Together, they all rushed outside and towards the edge of the forest where the Falcon habitually landed. The ramp lowered.

“Ben Solo! You finally came to your senses?” Maz shouted, joy ringing I her voice.

“Hey, Maz!” Ben called back, waving a little – just like his father. Then his eyes tracked over the faces of the others. He saw a mixture of shock and anger. This was what he expected, and he was prepared for it. Being in the First Order had taught him to look past the anger of others, even when it was directed at him.

“Skywalker, you are one surprising Jedi,” Maz laughed, looking at Rey. The prophecy had finally come true after a few false positives all starting with Anakin.

Rey wasn’t focused on Maz. Her attention was centered on Finn and Poe; their hands inching towards their blasters. Instinct took over and just as she was about to react, Ben’s hand took hers. His touch re-centered her focus on him, and his gaze held hers. They hardly needed words to communicate. In his eyes he saw acceptance. They knew this would be the welcome he would get even though he was no longer Kylo Ren. Ben would have to pay for those evil deeds for the rest of his life. 

Ben could see the fear starting to rise in her eyes. “I’m okay with this,” he said softly, stepping in close to her. Though, the fear he saw wasn’t for his safety. It was something else. “You never told them, did you?”

“No,” Rey answered softly with a shake of her head. Tears were filling her eyes. “I didn’t know how. Learning who I was and then losing you… it was too hard to put into words,” she explained loud enough for only Ben to hear. Under it all, she was afraid they would leave her if they knew who she truly was and not the Skywalker she chose to be.

Ben didn’t care that the others were watching them. His main focus was Rey. He brought his hands up to cup her face as he touched his forehead to hers. Her hands rested on his sides, her fingers digging into the fabric of his white shirt. “They won’t abandon you,” he stated confidently. They were her family; the one she had longed for since she was a little girl. “I won’t leave. I will never leave you, Rey.” He kissed her brow until he felt she was ready to pull away, to confront her fear of abandonment.

Being close to him, Rey felt balanced. She felt her fear receding as she took a small step back to look into his eyes. They were filled with pride and with confidence. “I won’t leave you either,” she replied and then swallowed hard past the lump in her throat. Then, she took another step, and then another. The space between them didn’t diminish the bond they shared. No matter how far apart they were in the galaxy, they could always feel each other. She needed that now as she looked towards her friends – her family.

Ben looked at all of them and he could see their hate for him. He let that emotion wash over him but didn’t let it settle inside him. After seeing his father again, he embraced who he really was. He was a Solo. He had his place by Rey’s side. He belonged. It was time to embrace being a dyad as well. They were neither light nor dark – but both. They were the balance of the force and for each other. Ben would be that for her. He would be her balance.

Rey felt the pull to go back to Ben, but she kept going in the direction of her friends. They needed to know what happened to her on Exegol. Ben was right. It was time. Now that she had him back, she could talk about it. When she stood before Finn and Poe, the first words out of her mouth were, “I died on Exegol and Ben gave his life to bring me back.”

“What?” Finn closed the distance between them to take her hands in his. “How is that possible?” he asked and then looked over her shoulder at Kylo Ren. It was hard to see him as anything other than the monster who hunted them all over the galaxy.

Rose and Poe closed ranks around Rey as her sadness called to them. She had been bottling up her emotions lately and they didn’t know why. Rose rested her hand on Rey’s shoulder, comforting her as best as she could.

Ben walked back into the Falcon, letting them have this time alone so Rey could tell them what happened. He didn’t want them to think he was influencing her in any way. Behind him, the sound of a droid joined him. Ben smiled and said, “Come on, R2.”

*****

Inside the castle, Rey sat at a table not saying anything. She was staring at the tabletop trying to collect her thoughts. Finn, Poe, and Rose sat waiting for her to speak. They didn’t know what to do with her being quiet. Truth be told, she didn’t know what to do either. Instinct had her reaching out with her feelings towards Ben. She could feel he was mildly amused while he walked around the ship. Latching onto that tether between them, she found the courage she needed to tell her friends what happened to her.

“I went to Exegol knowing that I wasn’t going to survive facing the Emperor… my grandfather. During the final days of the war, I learned who my blood was. I’m a Palpatine. My father ran from the Emperor. He and my mother put me into hiding on Jakku and then died to protect that secret. It was the only way they could save me from being used, but that didn’t stop Palpatine from finding Ben, from poisoning him against his family, against the light.” Once Rey started talking, she found she couldn’t stop. It all rushed out of her like a torrent.

“I could have been Kylo Ren just as easily as Ben. I could have embraced the dark side had I not grown up alone, waiting for my family. Then, on Exegol, for one terrifying second, I thought about giving in. It passed because Ben had come for me. The moment our eyes met; I knew I couldn’t give up the light. We fought side by side. If only we knew that’s what Palpatine wanted – us united. He used our combined power to restore himself. That’s what Ben and I are; we are the dyad of the force.” She felt the tears start to fall but she didn’t stop talking.

“The Emperor separated us, forcing me to face him one on one. He had all the power of the Sith standing behind him. In his hubris, he thought I stood alone. I didn’t. I fought him with all the Jedi that had come before me. It took all I had to destroy him and the throne of the Sith. I died but Ben… He wouldn’t let me go. He used all of his remaining power to revive me and then I lost him.”

The silence of the castle was deafening. Finn reached across the table to take Rey’s hand again. It was shaking. “If he sacrificed himself for you, why did you bring him back?”

Rey turned her watery gaze to him and answered, “People can spend their whole lives looking for that one person that knows them inside and out. Ben is that one for me – my one in a million. I can’t be me without him because we balance each other.”

“That man is a killer, plain and simple,” Poe said sharply.

“We’re all killers, Poe,” Rey replied. She pulled her hand back and got out of her chair.

“He was First Order,” Poe argued.

“So was Finn and he’s your friend,” Rey snapped. She knew how that Ben had never stood a chance against the Emperor by himself. “It’s time to let it all go. Let it die! The Empire, the First Order, the Resistance. It’s done. Your side won, Poe. Evil is defeated and the galaxy is at peace. I gave my life for it and Ben gave his for me. All debts have been paid.” Rey used the same intensity Ben had when he made her the same offer on Snoke’s ship.

******

On the Falcon, Ben sat in one of the gunner’s chairs. Originally, this ship had two. He was glad to see Rey and the others had restored it. This place felt more like home than it did before. Perhaps it was because Rey was everywhere he looked on this ship. He could feel her changing emotions – sadness, guilt, conflict, and finally anger. She was fighting with her friends. They didn’t understand why she had brought him back. He knew no matter what she said, they would never understand, but eventually they would accept it.

“You know who she truly is now, don’t you?” Maz asked from behind Ben.

“She’s the girl I used to hear crying for her family,” Ben answered. Their bond had been sporadic as children and may have only been one sided. As a child he didn’t understand why he saw scattered flashes of a desert, heard a voice he didn’t recognize, and saw a little girl he wanted to meet. Then something happened and the visions stopped. He almost forgot about them until they met again. Her strength called to him.

“Does she know how you feel about her?” Maz asked.

Ben turned around in the chair to face her. “She will,” he promised.

“Good,” Maz stated with a nod of her head.

*****

It was full dark before Rey returned the Falcon. Each step she took, she pulled the ties from her hair, letting it down for the night. Poe wanted to argue. Rose didn’t like the awkwardness that was filling the room. Finn was still trying to grasp that she had died. Chewie devolved into angry growls and roars. BB8 rolled away. Maz had gone off to take care of a few things. She had to get away, to go back to Ben. When she entered the ship, it was quiet, and then she heard a sizzle and a crack. She went to investigate.

Ben had decided to busy himself with minor repairs – replacing fuses, switches, and taping a few ventilation pipes. He’d pulled the grate off of a small smuggler’s hold and started there. The first few relay switches were easy. However, the third was the one to zap him. “Damnit!” he exclaimed. The tips of his fingers were tingling as he straightened, the top half of his body clearing the opening. He looked up to find Rey sitting cross legged on the deck wearing a small smirk. “How long have you been there?” he asked.

“Not long,” Rey replied. She uncrossed her legs, letting them dangle over the edge of the small hidden space where she and Finn had hidden the first time. “What’re you doing?” she asked, seeing Ben massaging the tips of his fingers.  
  
“Replacing a few relay switches and the third one shocked me,” Ben answered.  
  
Rey reached out with her right hand, smoothing back a stray strand of hair from the half ponytail he had tried to tame is wild mane of black hair with. “I like this look on you,” she teased. It was her attempt to stave off talking about what had transpired with her friends.  
  
“It was getting in my eyes while I was working,” Ben responded with a soft smile. The quiet moment of ease was passing. He could feel there were things she wanted to tell him. There were a myriad of emotions rolling through her. He stood between her parted knees, getting her to look at him. “Tell me,” he said, “I can feel the guilt you’re carrying.”

“I said a few things I didn’t mean to say out loud,” Rey whispered. “My grandfather went after you because I was out of his sphere of control…” Her thoughts were a jumbled mess and she was saying the first things that popped into her head.

“No, Rey, he would have come after me no matter what. Being the grandson of Vader put a target on my back,” Ben interrupted. He knew he was destined to walk the path of the dark side until he found her, until she opened his eyes to who they could be when they were united. “It’s not your fault the Emperor poisoned my faith in my family.” The Emperor could ever touch the unyielding faith he had in Rey. It was what saved him in the end.

“But I feel responsible,” Rey said sadly, closing her eyes.

“Don’t,” Ben urged, placing his hands on her sides, his thumbs rubbing back and forth hoping to comfort her. “Imagine what the galaxy would be like if your parents hadn’t run, hadn’t hidden you away. We would be together, and the Emperor would reign, bringing darkness to every living thing.”

Rey looked at him, conjuring images of the alternate path where she had been raised by her parents, groomed by her grandfather to be strong in the ways of the dark side. She saw herself again as a Sith.

“We’ve walked the paths we were meant to, so that we could be here, now, at this point in our lives to see all of it finally end. You and I are free to live the lives we choose, to be what we want and not be beholden to our family’s expectations.” Ben wouldn’t go back to being Kylo Ren any more than Rey would go back to the desert of Jakku to be a scavenger. In this moment, all he wanted to do was kiss her, to take her mind off of everything they couldn’t change. As painful as it was, the past was the past, and it served to teach them.

Rey placed her right hand on his and used her left to cup the back of his head. She pulled the leather tie open, letting the black strands of his hair tumble free. When the moments between them were quiet, she felt as if everything else that was going on could just melt away the moment she lost herself in his eyes.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Ben stated softly. He felt the shift in her once again mirroring what he was feeling.

“Because it’s what you’re thinking,” Rey replied and leaned close to him, keeping her lips just out of his reach. They shared the same breath for a few seconds before passion rose to consume them. His lips pressed to hers, his tongue sweeping into her mouth. Rey moaned holding him closer to her.

Ben brought his hands down to her belt, pressing the release. The metal and leather fell to the deck, but neither of them paid much attention. They were too focused on the kiss. He fell into her feelings, into the desire and fire that was tearing through her. Everything about Rey consumed him and now he had the chance to see what they could be when they were truly together. Breaking the seal of their lips, they gasped in unison. “Tell me you want this,” he moaned softly, licking his lips.

Rey caressed his cheek. “I want you… all of you,” she answered, “but not on the deck. We do this, we do it right.” She didn’t want their first time together to be on the floor. Pulling back, she stood up and offered him her hand.

Ben took it and as always when they touched the Force flowed through them, reminding them they were one soul. He stood before her feeling the echo of her power inside him just as she felt the echo of his inside her. “I want all of you, the good and the bad,” Ben whispered as he removed his jacket, letting it fall to the floor. She didn’t wait, she removed his belt next, stripping it from his body to land next to hers.

Rey gripped the front of his shirt, pulling him in against her. She freely gave herself over to the emotions swirling inside her as she kissed him deeply. He wrapped his arms around her waist, picking her up, carrying her through the ship towards the bunk they had shared. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she managed to toe off her boots, belatedly hearing them drop to the deck.

Ben set her down, pinning her against the bulkhead with the power of his kiss, filling her with the raging hunger he had. Somehow, without breaking the seal of their lips, he pulled his boots off and felt the cold deck plates. That momentary rush gave him back a little concentration. “We’re going to go slow,” he promised before he descended upon her again, desperate to drink down all her little moans.

*****

Inside the partially restored castle, Rose sat at the bar listening to Poe rant and rave. She wasn’t happy about the return of Kylo Ren, but neither Finn nor Poe had ever asked Rey what it was she saw in him. Since the last battle at Exegol, Rey had been different; half of who she used to be. The missing half was Kylo Ren – Ben Solo. Rose saw it when Ben held her close to him. Suddeny, a bottle shattered against a wall. Poe had thrown it. “ENOUGH!” Rose shouted, pinning Poe and Finn with a frosty glare. “What right do you have to judge her for what she’s done?!”

Poe not ready to give up the fight, snarled, “She brought a monster back to life! He could…”

“What?!” Rose shouted back. “Did you see how he was acting with her as opposed to how he was before? I saw someone completely different. Rey did what we’ve all done; she fought to save what she loved. If you can’t see how much she loves Ben Solo, then you two are idiots.” She shook her head and headed outside to take a long walk.

Finn took a seat, thinking about when the Falcon landed. Rey had seemed more like herself than she had in recent months. Lately she’d been quiet, withdrawn, almost like a walking ghost. Then, seeing her again, she had life in her eyes. The emotions she hadn’t showed for a while were back. He hated to admit it, but Solo helped to bring back the vibrant confident Rey they all knew and loved.

“Can you believe her?” Poe scoffed.

“She’s right,” Finn admitted reluctantly. “Rey hasn’t been the same since she was the only one to come back from Exegol.” They never tried to get her to open up about what happened. They let her be. They let her fake being fine.

“I’m not giving that guy a chance to ruin the galaxy again,” Poe stated heatedly. He needed to cool off, so he walked away not really paying attention to where he was going.

****

On the Falcon, Ben sat on the edge of the bunk with Rey standing between his parted knees. She removed her shirt, once against exposing the arcing scars on her left side. “Do they hurt?” he asked. Before she could answer, he leaned into her, placing his lips to the edge of the closest scar. It was soft against his lips. She cupped the back of his head her fingers curling into his hair, letting him explore every line.

“Nothing hurts when you’re with me,” Rey answered quietly. His hands slid up her back towards the clasp of her bra, releasing it. She took a step back to let it fall down her arms without hesitation. He stood up and – like she had the first night he was back with her – she pushed his shirt up until he took it off. She couldn’t keep her hand from going to his chest where she had run him through with his own lightsaber. Then instantly after that she healed him. The last thing she had wanted to do was hurt him, but her anger had gotten he better of her.

Ben cupped her face, tipping her head back so he could claim her lips to banish the quick flash of guilt he could feel. He needed the taste of her on his tongue, the feel of her pressed against him. The passion was back, blazing to life between them, driving them to forget about everything except each other. He was so caught up in the kiss that he nearly missed her fingers curling into the bad of his pants, unhooking the closure. The sound was so loud between them. Ben just had to return the favor. Slipping his hands down her back, he grasped the tongue of the zipper, lowering it.

Rey bit her bottom lip. His touch was so certain as he pealed down the fabric of her pants, revealing her hips, and then he stopped. There was a wicked glint in his eyes that gave her heart a little jump. Gripping her hips, he moved her to stand against edge of the bed, directing her with her gaze to lean back, bracing her hands on the gel/foam padding. Her gaze never left his. It heightened the feel of her pants being pushed down her legs and the slide of his hands down her skin.

Ben was enthralled with the sight of her, perfect beyond words. He touched the back of his fingers against her thighs, dragging them slowly down, feeling the way her skin reacted to his touch. Drawing closer to her, he gripped her behind the knees, urging her to let her body fall back while her legs wrapped around his waist.

Rey’s back touched the thin mattress, immediately conforming to her body. Ben loomed over her, his hands braced on either side of her waist, keeping her pinned with the intensity of his eyes. He moved, pressing a kiss to her left shoulder, then to her collar bone, and over to the hollow of her throat. Her body reacted to him in every way. She felt her inner muscles clench, sending pulses of pleasure racing through her. 

Ben sensed what she wanted but he didn’t want to abandon kissing her just yet. While he was still able, he teased the right side of her neck, delighting in the way she swallowed. However, she had other ideas. Her hands slipped down between them, taking ahold of the tab of his zipper. She didn’t wait for him to protest; she slid it down over the hardness of his erection the fabric was barely keeping contained. Ben hid his face in the side of her neck, moaning. He gave her one last kiss before pulling back to strip out of his pants.

Rey removed the last scrap of clothing she had on, her underwear. The gray silk fluttered to the floor at the same time knelt between her legs. He held out his hands for her, waiting for her to take them. When she did, he pulled her up and astride his thighs. This would be equal for both of them. He wouldn’t loom over her for their first time. She draped her left arm behind his neck, her hand cupping his right shoulder. Her body was ready for him. “Ben…” she whispered his name as she moved to take him inside her.

Ben held her thighs, letting her set the pace. When she started to sink down on him, he thought his mind would short circuit with how good it felt. The power of her gaze kept his eyes up and locked with hers. Looking at her made the eroticism of the moment all the more powerful. Everything was heightened for them; the tight grip of her relaxing for him, holding him deep inside her. For a single span of their heart beats, they didn’t move. The only used their feelings.

Rey had never imagined how good it would be to be so deeply connected to another person, not until Ben Solo came into her life. Their feelings were so completely intertwined that when she moved, he did as well. The desire soon burned through every fiber of their being until all there was only pleasure. She didn’t want this moment to be over between them so soon. Raising up, nearly letting him fall from her body, she held him poised on the precipice. Then she sank down on him once again.

Ben’s head fell back. The pure ecstasy coursing through him was nearly more than he could handle. She stopped moving until he looked at her again. When he did, he saw she wanted a change of pace. She wanted him on top and he was more than happy to oblige that desire. Taking her down to the bed, he took her hands in his as he thrust in and out of her faster and faster. They kissed to muffle their moans but soon the need for oxygen drove their lips apart as they both raggedly gasped.

Rey freed her right hand from the hold he had on it, so she could place it over his heart. She felt the wild thundering beat under her palm. The faster her moved the closer she came to losing herself to the blinding release she could feel building. “Ben…” she moaned his name loudly.

One more hard driving thrust, and they were coming together. Ben growled unintelligibly against the side of her neck as her inner muscles clamped down on him, holding him where he was. Soon, the strength was leaving his body. The last thing he wanted was to crush her under him. He managed lie beside her, bringing her left leg over his side to keep them connected for as long as possible. Somehow, he managed to open his eyes to look at her. The pleasure was written all over her face. It made him smile in a lazy satisfied male way.

Rey licked her lips, still feeling the tremors racking her body. She was barely aware that she was on her side facing him. It took all she had to open her eyes, but she needed to see him. His cheeks were red, his chest was rising and falling rapidly, and he was happy. Smiling. She tucked herself in against his chest, pressing her lips to the underside of his chin. “That... was… slow?” she asked in between small gasps.

Ben’s shoulder shook with his silent laughter. “Fast might kill us,” he joked and then kissed the top of her head. Pretty soon, they were both laughing lightly.

*****

Hours went by. In the middle of the night, Ben sat against the curved wall of the bunk with Rey’s back pressed against his chest. They shared a blanket while remaining silent. The intensity of their desire had eased considerably. Pretty soon, they both knew they would be craving each other again. There were worse ways to spend a night. Ben kept his arms wrapped around her as he pressed light kisses to her temple.

“They were so mad at me,” Rey said, her voice barely rising above a whisper.

“They don’t understand why we need each other,” Ben replied, holding her a little tighter. He had never experienced this kind of need before in his life. Finding out they were a dyad did little to explain the yearning he had for her. “I’ll win them over,” Ben stated confidently. He moved strands of her hair aside to place light lingering kisses to her left shoulder.

Rey angled her head back to look at him. “How?” she asked, not sure it could be done. “You’re not exactly the most charming person to inhabit the galaxy.” She smirked to show him she was teasing.

“By slow degrees,” Ben responded, choosing not to react to the bait. He knew there was a long road ahead of him and his first step was to make her friends see him not as Kylo Ren, but as Ben Solo. It would take time and require him to use his patience. He would have to swallow his pride, that much he knew right away. Though, for Rey, he would do anything.

Rey turned in his arms, sitting astride his thighs. The blanket pooled around her hips as she looked into his eyes. Then, she held her hands up, waiting for him. Ben pressed his palms to hers and there was a leap of power between them. His eyes registered the surprise but not shock. Somehow, they knew this was a new version of their abilities when they finally became one. The power of her Palpatine blood was now shared with him. In the time they’d been separated, she’d learned to control the electrical manifestation that was gifted from generation to generation.  
  
Ben breathed deeply, feeling the surge of power course through his being. “What did you do?” he asked. Ben could feel his power changing to accommodate the gift he’d gained from her.  
  
“Do you feel it? That last link being forged between us, solidifying our bond,” Rey said with a small mischievous smirk. Her power flowed through her and freely into him giving them complete unity.  
  
Ben pulled his hands back a fraction of an inch to let the electricity bounce between them. He was doing this. “This is amazing,” he whispered and then let the power subside.  
  
“My grandfather may have used this power to hurt others, but it’s not evil, and I don’t need to be angry to use it,” Rey said quietly.

Ben knew he didn’t need to say it again, but because she needed to hear it, he whispered, “You’ll never be him. You are Rey Skywalker.”

Rey cupped his face, smiling broadly. “I was going to tell you,” she said and then cleared her throat. It had felt right when she said it out loud on Tatooine. She had felt pride as she claimed the name as her own.

“It fits you,” Ben mused. He was too much of a scoundrel to ever claim Skywalker as his last name. It was time to be the Solo he was born to be. Snoke was right about one thing at least – he did have too much of his father’s heart. This time around, he planned to embrace it. And that meant being a little wicked. He took her beneath him and then knelt between her bent knees. She was smiling up at him, completely happy. It had been too long since he remembered that feeling.

“Ben, what is it?” Rey asked.

“I forgot what it was to be happy,” Ben answered.

“I’ll remind you every day,” Rey responded sweetly.

“I love you, Rey,” Ben whispered. He had promised Maz that he would tell her. This was the perfect time to tell her.

Rey’s heart leapt at his admission. She could have replied with, ‘ _I know_ ’. Instead, she replied, “I love you too, Ben.” It had been the first emotion she felt seconds after Ben returned her to life. It had been the emotion filling her and it had been coming from him.

Ben lowered himself down until he had as much of his flesh pressed to hers. Their lips met and the kiss was so slow, so sweet. Desire flared to life and they spent the rest of the night lost in each other.

**MORNING:**

Rey had been lightly dozing in Ben’s arms with her ear pressed against his chest, listening to his heart. It beat strong and steady, reminding her that he was alive. She had half woken up to the feel of his fingers running up and down her back, slowly, deliberately. When she looked up at his face, she saw he was deep asleep.

The silence was broken by a cacophony of beeps and alarms from R2.

Ben jolted awake, his eyes automatically seeking Rey’s. “What’s going on?”

Rey gathered the blanket around her before sitting up to look at R2 who was still speaking at the speed of light. “R2, slow down. He’s saying something about someone being trapped… a cave in…”

Sleep cleared quickly from Ben’s mind. “All right, R2, we’re getting up,” he said. The authority in his voice made the droid settle down while still chirping away that they needed to hurry.

*****

There had a been a section of Maz’s castle that was still unstable. Poe had been so enraged to see Kylo Ren – Ben Solo – whatever he was calling himself now. His impulsive nature had landed him in this latest bind. He stormed off and triggered the collapse. Luck was still with him, however. Poe’s leg was pinned under a few stones and dust was filling his lungs.

Outside the collapse, Finn shouted, “POE!” Immediately they all started to dig their friend out, but a tremor had them stopping. “Wait! Wait! We have to stop!” As much as Finn hated to say it, they had to stop. If they shifted the rubble the wrong way, they could bring the rest of the section down on their heads.

“He could be dying right now,” Rose replied frantically.

Chewie roared in agreement.

“Or he’s trapped and if we start moving things, we could kill him for sure,” Finn responded rationally.

“Then you’ll need us.”

The group turned to see Rey with Ben Solo.

Ben saw the amount of rubble in their way and he couldn’t help but smirk. “Moving rocks,” he muttered. Luke had always said that a Jedi’s power was meant for more than just moving rocks around. Yet, they practiced moving rocks as away of strengthening their powers.

Acting in concert with each other they stretched out their hands, reaching out with their feelings, using the Force. Rocks started to shake, moving under the compulsion of two powerful beings. Concentrating, they shifted the stones to solidify the corridor.

“Can you hold this?” Ben asked, risking a glance to Rey.

“Yes. Why?” Rey asked in turn, looking back at him.

“Good. I’ll go get him and bring him out safely. Keep the way clear,” Ben stated.

“No, let me go,” Rey argued.

“I have the broader shoulders,” Ben quipped, winked, and then rushed into the breach. Through the opening, he made his way carefully, skirting around piles of stones that helped shore up the structure that wanted to come crashing down on his head. Deeper in he went, until finally he made out a form lying on the floor.

Poe and his pilot’s instinct told him there was danger coming his way. He had heard the stones moving, saw them shifting. It had to be Rey that moved the rocks out the way. Except, it wasn’t Rey that emerged from the shadows. It was Kylo Ren. Instinct had him pulling his blaster, pointing it dead center at the others man’s chest.

“Don’t shoot me,” Ben stated firmly and kept his hands at his sides.

“Why not?” Poe snarled. It would be so easy to pull the trigger. He really wanted to.

“You could, but then you’d be crushed to death,” Ben replied, kneeling down slowly to see how badly Dameron was hurt. In the low light, he could see a pool of blood around his left leg, just below the knee. “Or, you could let me help you, and we both get out alive.” It was a good offer; any sane man would take it.

Poe actually thought about it for a second. “How could you help me?” he asked after long, drawn out seconds.

“Let me show you,” Ben replied. He rested his hand on Dameron’s left leg and concentrated on healing the damaged limb. His power flared, sending healing pulses into the damaged tissue, knitting bones, tendons, veins, and skin.

Poe could not, and would not, ever accurately describe what happened to him at the hands of the galaxy’s worst enemy. At first there was pain, so much pain that he thought he was back in that torture chair having his mind torn open, being forced to reveal secrets he thought were buried. Then, in the span of single breath, it was all gone.

Ben withdrew his hand. “We should probably go now,” he urged, and then offered to help the pilot to his feet. To his surprise, Dameron didn’t hesitate in taking his help.

Outside the collapse, Rey focused on stabilizing the area until Ben returned. She made sure every stone fit securely so that the corridor would hold, for a short time at least. It would be enough for them to help Maz finish the restoration. She sensed movement. Opening her eyes, she saw Ben, and he was helping Poe. For his part, Poe was trying not to let the discomfort show on his face in being close to a man that had been the embodiment of everything he’d fought against. Once they were clear, Rey lowered her hand. Before, using the Force would leave her feeling drained. Now, being united with Ben, she felt stronger than ever.

The moment Ben saw Rey, his eyes immediately held hers. Even as a flurry of activity surrounded them, he couldn’t look away. He gave her a short nod to let her know things were going to be okay.

Poe felt he could stand on his own. Before Finn and Rose could guide him to a chair, he looked at Ben and said, “Thank you for your help.”

Glancing at him, Ben inclined his head. It would take time and he was prepared to wait. The first step had already been taken. Eventually, he’d be able to take another, but he was in no rush. Once everyone was distracted by checking on the former Rebellion Pilot, he went to stand next to Rey and slipped his arm around her waist. It had felt good to help someone, rather than harm them. Better late than never to come to that realization, really.

Watching over it all, Leia and Luke appeared. The Jedi nudged his sister and asked, “You knew, didn’t you?”

“I suspected,” Leia replied, nudging her brother back. “I wasn’t sure until I met Rey. All I wanted was for my son to be happy, and now he is.” Even in her moment of despair, she held tightly to the hope that Ben could be returned to the light. What she hadn’t known at the time, was that it wouldn’t be her or Luke, or even Han that would bring him back. Rey had been his only hope.

Ben felt the pull towards the light. Looking for its source, he glanced over his shoulder and saw his mother. She was smiling at him. Seeing her again had a mixture of happiness and sorrow rushing through him. Still, he smiled at her in return, and a nod to let her know that he was going to be okay.

Rey turned her attention to Ben. He was looking behind them and what she found pleasantly surprised her. Leia and Luke were there. Ben’s hold tightened on her as the Jedi’s faded away. Their future belonged to them.

**THE END**


End file.
